Archive for June, 2006

Wayne LaPierre OF THE NRA

Jun 16, 2006

The U.N. will gather in New York City this July for the 2006 Small Arms Review Conference. Doesn’t the name alone make you nervous? The U.N. is “reviewing” guns. If you don’t own one, doesn’t it make you want to go out and buy one just so you can be ready for whatever Kofi’s got planned?

His critics think so, claiming that the aim of the conference and its supporters is only to deal with the “illicit” sale of small arms, so it would have no effect on any legally traded arms. But check out the U.N.’s own explanation and see what you think (emphasis mine):

By unanimously adopting the UN Programme of Action to address the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons (UNPoA), in 2001, the UN Member States committed to collecting and destroying illegal weapons, adopting and/or improving national legislations that would help criminalize the illicit trade in small arms, regulating the activities of brokers, setting strict import and export controls, taking action against violators of such laws, and better coordinating international efforts to that end.

Sounds like there’s some wiggle room in there to me. I got to talk to LaPierre, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the National Rifle Association, about his new book and the new fight facing gun owners.

LaPierre has been charting the U.N. gun-ban movement since the mid-1990s, when all of the nuclear freeze non-governmental organizations (NGOs) morphed into gun-ban groups and “hijacked the disarmament machinery of the United Nations,” he said.

The philosophy of these groups, LaPierre said, is that the right to own a gun should be solely the right of governments, and they despise the fact that the United States remains a country in which private citizens can keep a handgun at their bedsides.

In a recent debate LaPierre did with Rebecca Peters, who is heading up the NGOs’ gun-ban efforts, Peters told him that Americans need to give up on the notion of self-defense because it’s something that only happens in movies.

The problem is, of course, that a disarmed people can do nothing when its armed government or militias turns on it. The U.N. has no response about what to do about that, LaPierre said, citing the Tutsis in Rwanda, the people of Darfur, and the Muslims of Bosnia.

“All they offer is a global socialist fantasy…If there were no guns, there would be no poverty, there would be no child hungry, there would be no violence. It’s the same global socialist fantasy we saw in the 20th century, “ he said. “Under the U.N. gun-ban policy, they have no solution for when the government goes bad; they have no answer for how to be liberated from a tyrant or a dictator; they have no answer for what oppressed people should do…Their whole philosophy is give up your arms and your freedoms and we’ll protect you.”

But why should we be scared in the U.S., I asked him. Doesn’t our Constitution override any international treaty the U.N. could impose upon us?

According to LaPierre, the U.N. plans can find their way into America in one of several ways. A treaty would require approval by two thirds of the Senate. An international agreement, however, is a lower hurdle, requiring only a simply majority. But, if neither of those succeeds, much of the U.N. plan can be implemented through executive agreement—the President putting policy to work through his agency heads.

The NRA’s message remains that gun owners should stay vigilant about the U.N. and work in 2006 and 2008 to elect Second Amendment candidates here at home who will protect their rights from U.N. encroachment.

“This threat is real. It is very well-funded and they really do intend to diminish the standard of U.S. freedom and dumb it down to some U.N. standard,” he said.

As for the upcoming conference, LaPierre is just happy to have Ambassador John Bolton on the inside, fighting for American gun-owners. There will be a week of testimony from NGOs and member countries before the U.N. insiders go behind closed doors to make decisions. It’s hard to find an ally on this issue behind those doors, he said.

“The United States stands alone,” he said. “The United Kingdom has not only thrown in the towel; they’re funding this.”

Another contributor to the gun-ban crusade is none other than moonbat favorite George Soros. Though some Democrats have learned recently that it doesn’t pay to be on the wrong side of the Second Amendment come election time, LaPierre doesn’t believe the American left is about to give up on gun control. The U.N. is just another vehicle for the same old policies, he said.

“There’s a whole wing of the party…the Hillary Clinton wing of the party, the George Soros side…I don’t see they’ve changed at all,” he said.

And, the U.N. won’t be giving up either. The gun-ban NGOs are full of folks who’ve dedicated their lives to learning international law, testifying for global symposia, and using both skills burrow under the sovereignty of countries around the globe.

“They’re not going away…they’ll simply find another way to do it,“ he said. “They’ve become really a freedom-eating beast and they’ll take as much as they can get.”

As for the NRA, it’s urging its members to contact Congress, the administration, and the State Department before and during the U.N.’s conference. LaPierre naturally implores Americans to “wake up to what’s going on. That’s one of the reasons I wrote the book.”

“We’re gonna get in their way and we’re gonna fight them,“ he said.

Far be it from me to question Ronald Reagan, but perhaps it’s about time to rethink the scariest nine words in the English language.

I wanted to write a commentary like this for a long time. I am asked this question all the time in emails and phone calls about why I just do not carry a 1911 pistol like many other SMITHS.

I have owned quite a few 45 acp pistols in the past and I have never been impressed with ball ammunition the way these other people have. I think what cured me was about 35 years ago I had first hand experience at seeing a car door that was shot using a 45 acp ball cartridge, it made one large dent and nothing more. Having seen this and having put my life on the line carrying a 1911 pistol that jammed every other shot cured me once and for all.

Of course now I can make a 1911 design run flawlessly but I could not have done it 35 to 40 years ago. Also there has been a major advancement in bullet technology, which not only includes the projectile but the powder and quality cartridge cases and especially primers.

To this day many SMITHS do not even understand the need to work on the breech face and how critical the extractor is in every handgun. An extractor plays a very importantant part in the feeding cycle that many do not understand. I remember the famous FBI shooting in Miami many years ago and there would have been a different out come in my opinion had the Federal agents been allowed to carry and use the 9mm cartridges that are made today for Police work with the advanced bullet technology and hyper velocities that the new powders can achieve.

I carried and used all kinds of weapons and calibers, in the early days many people just carried 380acp ball ammo in their carry gun as there were many handguns chambered for that round. It was a poor choice then using ball ammo and it remains a very poor choice today.

My 9x19mm handgun is completely capable of settling an argument very quickly in a social encounter providing I do my part in placing the bullet in a vital area. I have had this discussion with some very influential people along with many famous gun writers.

My friend John Taffin still uses the SW 3913 that I did for him many years ago. John is the very last of the all time great gun writers of my generation as most have passed on like my good friend the late Tom Ferguson of Gun World fame.

Of the superb gun writers of todays generation my friend Stephen Camp does excellent write ups regarding evaluation of ammunition. I think that Steve is tops and he is a very honorable man. I could not imagine anyone doing better reviews on handguns and ammunition than Mr. Camp. http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com

A person must look at the current ballistics of todays 9x19mm cartridges such as made by Corbon and a few others. These 9mm cartidges of today have more foot pounds of energy than any 45 acp ball ammo, but do not take my word for it, check it out on your own.

It all started with Super Vel cartridges a very long time ago, but now things are even better because of the advancements that have been made. Of course the military is somewhat unhappy using the 9mm ball cartridge, their hands are tied, they are not allowed to use a hyper velocity cartridge like I do. I am convinced if they used a +P+ cartridge there outlook would be entirely different.

My favorite carry ammunition is the 100 grain Corbon bullet that is called Powerball. This specific load gives a velocity of 1475 feet per second and about 475 foot pounds of energy, I am going by memory so I know I am in the ball park. The reason I really like this performer is because the synthetic ball in the bullet insures reliable feeding.

I get a kick out of some of these macho old folks that just brag about their 45 acp ball ammo and how devastating it is, they really believe this as Jeff Cooper has been writing about the 45 caliber for as long as I can remember. Just read the current FBI reports about calibers vs one shot kills and you will be shocked.

I change with the times because I am open minded. "IT IS WHAT IT IS" and I can not change technology, that is the very reason I look to other industry product to see if it will apply to my world of refinement. Having a weapon that is not refined internally is not for me, but there are exceptions such as me carrying a NAA mini revolver that has been gone over by my friend Wayne Martin. Then I have complete faith in carrying a small revolver that I will never take apart.

At this time I know that the US Military is going to be looking at 45 acp pistols and that is fine if they could leave the politics out of the testing and final orders. You got to always remember that many lobbyist and people in power pray to a different G-D named Benjamin Franklin.

I am different as my soul is not for sale at any price.

I am quite pleased with my HK P7 M8 and my Glock 19 to carry anywhere. I have no reservations or afterthoughts about what it can do as long as I do my part regarding BULLET PLACEMENT. I hope you have liked this commentary and I am going to use this new blogger very often because its so reliable and the people are very nice.

Remember 9mm is readily available and that must be considered a major factor.DISCLAIMER: This commentary reflects my personal viewpoint and opinions only.

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The blopspot (owned by Google) I started with has turned into a nightmare because of their internal problems. I will try this system and if you like it and it works well for me I will start using it daily.

I need to know your input on the few new bloggers I have started. Some are easier for me to understand than others. I like this one because of the layout and I do not want any advertising on my bloggers from companies I do not know.